THE JOY OF YOUTH

By Jon Moffett

About 30 children attended the eight-week event.

YOUNGSTOWN — The sounds of children laughing and having a blast resonated from Mill Creek Park.

Children from the United Methodist Community Center Summer Day Camp were treated to an outdoor fun day as part of the eight-week event, which began June 16 and ended Friday.

About 30 children ages 7 to 12 were involved this summer, said Brenda Sharif, camp director. Sharif, in her sixth year with the camp, added that this was the 30th year of the UMCC event.

The camp is designed to give kids an option of activities in the summer and peace of mind for their parents, Sharif said.

“The best part is just being able to have something for the children to do during the summer,” Sharif said, “and providing a support system for the parents so they can feel secure about where they’re leaving their children in the summer.”

The event at Mill Creek Park on Thursday was just one of multiple events the children were able to participate in, Sharif said.

“One of the things that we’ve done, which was the highlight of our camp this year, was the beginner’s golf [through the Ebony Ladies Golf League],” Sharif said.

“We also had healthy living, where we had nutritionists come in from Ohio State [Mahoning County Extension] ... then we had a lady from the Girl Scouts [of America] come in and talk to the children about team-building. Then, we had someone come in from Belmont Pines and talk to them about conflict mediation and solving problems without physical confrontation, and we also had arts and crafts,” Sharif said.

Sharif added that the children also attended a play at Kent State University’s Trumbull Campus, a magic show and a movie.

Another big part of the camp offerings was the foster grandparents program. Groups of children were divided into groups and assigned a foster grandparent, Sharif said.

The foster grandparents helped the children with reading and math while they were home for the summer. Marilyn Mills, a Youngstown resident in her third year as a foster grandparent, said the program was marvelous.

“It was wonderful,” Mills said. “The whole program is just beautiful ... We learn a lot from the kids as well.”

Amanda Crosby, the center’s development and public relations director, said working with the grandparents was an honor.

“On behalf of the center, we are honored to be able to interact with these youth and to be able to offer this service to them,” Crosby said. “Investing in our children is a part of who we are.”

The camp is free. The only cost for parents is a transportation fee, which Sharif said was around $10.

That cost covered all day trips. Breakfast and lunch were provided to the children through a donation from Mahoning/Youngstown Community Action Partnership, a local social services agency.